A variety of factors can cause your teeth to become dark and dingy. Smoking or chewing tobacco, drinking wine, coffee or tea, eating pigment intense foods, too much fluoride, or trauma to the tooth can all cause your teeth to discolor and lose their shine. The good news is cosmetic dentistry offers several options to return your teeth to their natural whiteness:
- Professional teeth whitening can be completed in as little as one office visit and can lighten your teeth as much as ten shades. This type of whitening mainly treats surface stains and can last several years with careful maintenance.
- Dental veneers are a better option for teeth with internal stains that are resistant to professional whitening. The placement of veneers involves roughing up the surface of the tooth and then applying an extremely thin porcelain or composite veneer that bonds to the surface of the tooth. With care, dental veneers can last as long as ten years.
- For individual teeth that have changed color due to damage or trauma, composite bonding is an excellent option. This procedure involves the use of a tooth-colored bonding material to cover the surface of the tooth and match it to the color of the surrounding teeth.
If you suffer from a dark or discolored smile and want to restore it to bright and white, cosmetic dentistry may be the answer to your concerns. Schedule a consultation with a qualified cosmetic dentist to find out which treatments would best suit your needs and allow you to once again face the world with a beautiful, white smile.
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Traditional dentistry focuses on maintaining your oral health and treating any diseases you might have, while cosmetic dentistry is all about the way your smile looks. The goal of cosmetic dentists is to help you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted. It is becoming an increasingly popular area of dentistry because so many people want to look their best, and one of the utmost ways to do that is to have a beautiful smile.
There are numerous treatments and procedures available in cosmetic dentistry today. Here are some of the most popular ways that patients seek to transform their smiles:
- Teeth whitening, sometimes referred to as bleaching, relieves stains and discolorations that are affecting your teeth. It is a simple and quick process when performed by your cosmetic dentist, often taking only an hour out of your day. The results are usually amazing, making your teeth many shades whiter and eliminating embarrassing stains.
- Dental veneers cover up all kinds of smile imperfections. Problems like chips, cracks, discoloration, misalignment and more can be hidden under veneers. These thin porcelain shells are customized only for you, and are cemented directly onto the fronts of your teeth. A small amount of your tooth enamel must be removed in preparing your teeth, so veneers are a permanent solution for transforming your smile.
- Dental implants are a great solution for replacing missing teeth. Instead of going through the hassles associated with dentures or bridges, implants are a permanent restoration that becomes part of your body. A titanium rod is surgically placed into your jaw bone so that it fuses with the bone as it heals, and then an artificial tooth is placed on top. Implants are a secure and attractive way to restore your smile.
- Crowns, also called caps, are customized for every patient to fit over an existing tooth that has been severely damaged. They are often used to correctly shape broken, chipped or uneven teeth. Made of porcelain or acrylic with metal, crowns are strong and able to withstand biting forces that other restorations might not tolerate well.
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If you have decided to enhance your smile, you will need to select a good cosmetic dentist. Having an excellent practitioner to transform your appearance can make all the difference. It’s important to choose a cosmetic dentist that you trust and who you feel will produce exceptional results.
Keep these questions in mind as you search for a cosmetic dentist:
Does the dentist have extensive cosmetic training?
Just as you wouldn’t see your family doctor to perform knee replacement surgery, you shouldn’t choose a general dentist with little cosmetic experience to update your smile. Look at the dentist’s bio and find out what organizations he or she is affiliated with, like the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry or Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.
How many smile makeovers has the dentist completed?
Cosmetic dentistry combines art with science, so you want to select a dentist with both technical skill and a good eye for detail. Developing this talent takes years of practice; you don’t need to be part of the trial and error phase.
Can the dentist provide examples and photos of finished cases?
An experienced cosmetic dentist should have plenty of Before and After photos for you to look through and see if you like the results. Make sure to verify that any pictures you see in the office are of actual patients and not just stock photos.
What do patients say about the dentist’s work?
Not only should you ask for patient referrals, but use the Internet as a good resource. With review Web sites and social media sites like Facebook, you should be able to find unbiased patient opinions about any dentist you are considering.
Cosmetic dentist in Meriden
Has your child been bothered by some issue with his or her teeth? Has there been bullying or teasing about a smile issue? Cosmetic dentistry may be the solution for these problems. Teens can benefit from a healthy, attractive, white smile. Benefits can include increased self-esteem and greater ease with public speaking and social interactions. Some cosmetic dental procedures can correct problems that began when teens were pediatric patients. Others can address issues of alignment or shape.
The most common cosmetic dental procedure pursued by young people is braces. Braces are so common now that in middle school, it seems as though more students have braces than do not. Even in elementary school, braces can be an option toward achieving a straight smile.
Some teens naturally have discolored teeth that can benefit from teeth bleaching or whitening. Medications and foods and drinks can affect tooth color. Most dental professionals prefer to whiten only permanent teeth that are fully erupted. The primary concern about whitening teeth for young people is that the teeth are also “young” and that the pulp is closer to the surface than in adult teeth, leading to heightened sensitivity to the products used to achieve whitening.
If your teen has suffered trauma to the teeth from playing sports or in an accident, bonding with resin composite or porcelain veneers could be the solution. Dentists can also provide mouth guards for protection while engaging in some activities, such as football or hockey. Be sure to contact your dentist immediately following any new trauma so your teen’s teeth can be properly evaluated.
If your child has a missing tooth, either from trauma, decay or congenital issue, your cosmetic dentist might recommend a dental bridge or dental implant. Bridges can be used at an early age, but dental implants are only for mature mouths with complete bone growth.
If your child has issues regarding the appearance of his or her smile, make an appointment with your dentist today to discuss what cosmetic dental treatments are best to treat those problems.
Schedule your appointment at our Meriden dental office
Everyone hopes to look younger and more attractive, and one way to achieve that youthful glow is to have a beautiful smile. Teeth free of stains, chips, misalignment, cracks and other problems are more likely to help you feel good about yourself and make a better impression on others. One way to achieve this goal is to see a cosmetic dentist for a smile makeover.
Dentists have been helping patients improve the appearance of their smiles for many years, but advances in techniques and materials allow smile makeovers to be much more advantageous today. Silver fillings have been replaced with tooth-colored composite resin, dental implants securely replace missing teeth, teeth whitening methods produce dramatic results, and computer imaging can provide great predictions for the outcomes of various cosmetic dental procedures.
There are many options for a smile makeover depending on what you need:
- Discolored or stained teeth benefit from professional whitening treatment. Yellowed teeth can improve numerous shades of white to give you a whole new look.
- Chips in your teeth can be filled with tooth-colored composite resin in a procedure called bonding. You can choose a shade closely matching your tooth, so that once it is smoothed and polished you can’t even tell it was done.
- Uneven teeth that are slightly longer or shorter than their neighbors can be shaped in a more appealing way using recontouring techniques.
- Gaps between teeth can be closed using composite material, or large spaces can be hidden with dental veneers. In fact, porcelain veneers can cover all sorts of flaws that you don’t want others to see in your smile.
- Cavities or cracked teeth can be filled with tooth-colored material instead of traditional amalgam, making them invisible in the mouth.
- Broken teeth that are unsightly or weak can be covered with a durable and attractive crown.
Crooked teeth can be moved with orthodontic treatment, employing the latest method of Invisalign. These clear plastic aligners transform your smile without the noticeable metal braces that impact your diet and dental hygiene.
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Dentistry today does not just include treatments for tooth and gum problems or diseases. The trend in dentistry has expanded to include a wide range of treatments and procedures with the purpose of improving your appearance. The purpose of cosmetic dentistry is to give you the most appealing smile possible so that you can be happy with your look and have an improved self-esteem. Here are some trends in cosmetic dentistry explained.
Bonding
Mild to severely damaged teeth can be treated with dental bonding. A tooth-colored material is applied to the fractured or chipped surface of your tooth and then bonded with a special light. The restoration provides a renewed look to your tooth so that others can’t even tell it was ever damaged.
Teeth whitening
A bright white smile gives of a great impression of oral health and beauty. Stains from age, foods, drinks, and habits like smoking all play a role in making your smile dull and unattractive. Cosmetic dentists offer teeth whitening procedures that can turn your smile around in just an hour.
Veneers
Another way to easily improve your smile is dental veneers. These thin shells usually made of porcelain are permanently adhered to the fronts of your teeth, giving you a bright and flawless smile for many years to come.
Contouring
Instead of having lengthy orthodontic treatment to correct crooked teeth or uneven spacing, contouring is an option to improve your look. Also called tooth reshaping, this procedure is additionally used to correct irregularly shaped teeth and alter issues like overly pointy teeth. During contouring, small amounts of tooth enamel are removed in order to change the tooth’s shape, length, or surface.
Implants and dentures
To replace missing teeth, dental implants are dentures are both options depending on the patient and the specific situation. Many people prefer implants because they are a permanent and secure solution.
Cosmetic dentist in Meriden
